Personal Narrative: My Farm Life In Iowa

Being from rural Mississippi, people from other states assume that we know very little about what goes on outside our state let alone our own town. In a way, I can see why, but glad I am one of the ones who, thanks to my family, have an idea of a world larger than my town. I am from a family of six consisting of my mother, father, step-mother, brother, and identical twin sister. We did a lot of traveling when growing up normally traveling out of state even if just for weekends. My interest in other cultures and languages came from my family, especially on my mother’s side where I members who traveled out of country for work and would bring us back clothes, books, or other souvenirs. My dad did not do as much traveling as my mom and had not

In the Southern Great Plains States it was a natural disaster. Farming on the Great Plains was almost impossible. The people couldn’t buy crops because the depression left them poor. In the 1930s the land became a desert because of the drought. Constant winds whipped the dry earth into blinding storms of dust, so much dust that it settled as far away as Boston and New York.

A toast to a place above all the rest, this place though odd has captured my heart. I know this isn’t a conventional Burns supper toast, or even a real toast at all. But as I was thinking about which toast I wanted to give; I realized that there was only one place that I wanted to talk about. So firstly, I would like to ask you guys have you ever been to a place that makes you feel happy. A place that even at the mention of its name, you can’t help but think of happy memories you had there. The place that does that for me is the Black Hills of South Dakota. I spent my summer working at a campground in the heart of the Black Hills. So here’s a toast to the Black Hills and all of its natural beauty.

My parents and I emigrated from Mexico when I was very young. I was born in Zapotlanejo, Jalisco, Mexico. There my father, my mother and I lived in a shaggy one bedroom brick shack that lacked all the common utilities we take for granted here. There was no electricity nor was there plumbing inside the house. During the night time we had to light up oil lamps only when absolutely necessary and everything that required water usage was done outside. When my parents discovered my mother was expecting another child they finally decide that was not the life they wanted for their children. They left behind

During my high school years I’ve joined a club called Future Farmers of America which I really had gotten involved with for three and a half years. This being my first time in a club I found myself to be really busy throughout my school time, not only busy but I loved being part of that group. The reason why I loved that group was because there were judging teams and livestock teams that I was really good at. Rite before my senior year was about to be over I decided to leave school for good only because I thought my job was more important. So once I left school I thought it was ok just to do anything I wanted. This is where my whole life took a turn for its worse. Now getting involved with drugs and gangs I was completely far away from an education or a job. Being on the streets was my job. This only landed me in jails and prisons for a period of time.

Arriving to the United States, to be more precise Houston, Texas. Big, green house with only three rooms for two family’s. The people there were amazing in a day they donated food and supplies enough to survive for a week. My parents struggled to starting us off. We barely had anything. We were a big family with needs. And slowly but surely we had start to adapt. Only 3 minute showers. If

Moving from the South to the Midwest was a huge change in my life. For my whole life I grew up to the southern hospitality and the tang of salt in the air since the beach was always less than 5 minutes away wherever I lived. Now I moved to a place where they flip you off to say hi, and the closest thing to an ocean is a sea of grass that seems to go on forever. Although I am now adapted to the change for the most part, it took me awhile to break in to the social norms of an average Midwest kids.

Families during the dust bowl suffered from not having enough money to support their families. I would watch grandma and grandpa struggle everyday, but they would always manage to keep a smile on their face for uncle Joe and I. The families then, didn’t make enough money to put food on the table for themselves let alone their family. Which then would have the kids like me; go to bed starving and without being fed. Which affected a lot of the children psychologically, mentally, and emotionally. NO matter how hard grandma and grandpa tried, it just wasn’t enough back then. We saw them not being able to provide for our family. I would see some of the children drink

Initially, I believe my parents suffered the most from this move because they no longer had the security of owning a home and their income had decreased substantially. They both had to work full-time to make ends meet. More importantly, all of our social connections with relatives and friends were gone.

West Virginia has always been a part of my life, although I am not a resident. When I think of the state the first things that come to mind are college, beauty, and friends. My family has had ties for many years to West Virginia. My mother attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and my relation to the state grew stronger when I chose to attend WVWC. In the past three years I have become enamored with the state and all it has to offer. The pure, wild, beauty of the state is something I will never forget. From orienteering to the top of Spruce Knob with other students in the honor’s program to white water rafting the lower Gauley River with my roommates, I have enjoyed exploring West Virginia. During my time in West Virginia I have learned more

“…soon we had a vegie garden and chickens. The garage was divided into three rooms, one the lounge, then the kitchen, and a little room with just enough room for two beds for the kids. No running water, we had to get that from a pump just a couple of km away. No proper toilet, just a bucket, no bathroom, a babybath was all we

It was hard as a teenager being forced out of are home. We were forced out our home because Anderson signed the Removal Act on May 28 in 1830. We started our move to Kansas on October 8 1840. We had to walk 800 to 1200 miles all the way to a place we didn't know. We only had so much food when it was gone we had to hunt for food or starve. Many many kids, parents, and grandparents died of starvation or freezing.

Before the European settlement of Iowa, the state was a land covered in tall prairie grasses, wetlands, and small forests. The Native Americans thrived on these lands by using pockets of the fertile soil for agriculture and hunting the abundance of wildlife that roamed these plains. By the late 1800s however, the prairie had become farmland and the Europeans had begun their new lives along Iowa’s waterways and railroads. Within a century Iowa’s landscape had changed rapidly due to human activity.

America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a simpler time, Crevecoeur defined an American as someone of European

I woke up before my alarm. A distant square of eerie half-twilight from the window held the familiar outline of the locust tree. In the dark, I fumbled to dress without waking my parents. I slipped outside.